As September is already upon us and I've come far short of my initial summer goal of reviewing the entire series, I'll try to speed things up and finish reviewing the third season by watching 2-3 episodes at a time and reviewing them in a single post.
"Nisei" and "731" are two of the best mythology episodes in the entire series. "Nisei" charges forward right off the bat, giving us a heavy dose of action and mystery, and something related to Japanese scientists operating in secret in America. "731" doesn't let up, pushing the stakes further and further, while the pacing of the two are near perfect. But at the same time, both episodes have their quieter, human moments where events unfold and we can collect ourselves.
In the first episode, Scully finds a group of women who recognized her. However, she does not recognize them, but further inquiry reveals that they all were implanted with chips and abducted previously, some even multiple times. And worse, some of these women have cancer which no doctor can stop. Scully is visibly shaken, unable to process the wealth of information she's come upon and leaves.
After Mulder jumps on the train at the end of "Nisei," he spends most of the episode with an "NSA agent" aboard the compartment with the creature the Japanese scientists loaded in. To make matters drastically worse, the compartment is now locked and there's a bomb ticking down. Mulder is saved by X who pulls through in heroic fashion, but there's much to be resolved.
As a result of her experiences at the leper colony, Scully now believes that aliens is a cover story for human testing by the United States which the US government will now co-opt. Faithful until the end, Mulder insists on the "truth"--aliens.
Scully's charge brings up an interesting question. Would it be worse for the government to cover up unspeakable horrors performed on humans by humans, or to cover up the existence of aliens? I'd it's darker and more insidious for the government to cover up something they did rather than extraterrestrials, and would make for a good show in and of itself. From a storyline standpoint of established fact on The X-Files, obviously aliens are more compelling and interesting.
Director Rob Bowman and DP John Bartley do amazing work in "731." At the beginning of the episode, the shadows splay out in such a manner to give a hint at what the lepers may be, but keeps their faces hidden, so we can't see exactly what they are, ratcheting up the tension for the rest of the episode.
The biggest problem with the two episodes--which becomes more glaring as the series progresses--is that little is actually explained. Was the creature an alien-human hybrid? A leper? A supersoldier? All we know for sure is that Dr. Shiro Zama was experimenting on people/creatures and CSM has his notes.
"Nisei" Score: 9.3/10
"731" Score: 9.6/10
For those curious about Unit 731 and the sick freaks behind it, look up clips on Youtube of Men Behind the Sun and Philosophy of a Knife. Once you watch them, you'll see why no further explanation is needed. (Big warning to anyone who wants to watch: it's more messed up than anything from Hollywood, and not for the weak-stomached. Hostel and Saw are nothing comparison.) Or, better yet, read a book on Japanese atrocities.
